Personio vs Zelt (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Personio if

• Fits if you're a European company that wants HR, payroll and hiring together
• Works for teams that already use a separate shift planner

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price before talking to sales
• Not for you if you want to plan shifts inside your HR tool, as that needs a partner app
• Tight if managers mostly work from their phones, as setup and most workflows need the web
• Watch out: the pages we read don't list the countries where its payroll works
• Watch out: the listing shows no performance reviews or onboarding, so ask before you buy

Pick Zelt if

• Fits if you are a UK company with 20 or more staff wanting HR and payroll together
• Works for teams that also want laptops and app access managed

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you have fewer than 20 people, as every module has a 20-seat minimum
• Watch out: audit trails, API access and data residency are Pro, which is sold through sales
• Tight if you stay on Core, which caps items like active jobs at 1 to 3
• Skip it if you are not in the UK, as payroll is UK-focused
• Skip it if you want an Android app, as only iOS is listed

Personio

• Prices could not be confirmed: personio.com and its help center answered with a bot check, so plans, prices and any trial are not recorded.
• It presents itself as built for Europe; the pages read do not list the countries where its payroll works.
• The mobile app covers absences, time, approvals and documents; other workflows and set-up need the web app.
• Shift planning comes through partner apps that sync with Personio, where shifts are created and changed.

Zelt

• The pricing page publishes no price table; only its page title says plans start from £5 per month.
• Every module has a 20-seat minimum on both Core and Pro.
• Core caps items such as absence policies, onboarding workflows and active jobs at 1 to 3; Pro is unlimited.
• Audit trails, API access and data residency control are Pro features, and Pro is sold through sales.

Personio

Employee records and documents

One place for employee data and HR documents, which staff can open, download or share from the mobile app.

Absences and time off

Employees request time off and see their balance, and can check upcoming absences and team availability where the company allows it.

Working-time tracking

Staff record and review their hours on the web or phone, and approved times from partner apps can be sent back into Personio.

Inbox for approvals

Managers see open requests and tasks in one inbox and approve or decline them, including from the mobile app.

Recruiting

Applicants can be passed into Personio's recruiting module through its Recruiting API, alongside core HR and payroll.

API, webhooks and marketplace

Custom integrations read employees, attendance, absences and documents through the API, and webhooks push changes in real time.

Zelt

Employee records and time off

The People module holds the employee and document databases, onboarding and offboarding, contract signing, a team calendar and custom approval rules.

Payroll, expenses and benefits

The Money module covers payroll, expenses, contractors, benefits and payments, with payroll tied to the same people data as the HR records.

Attendance and shift planning

Clock in and out, geo-fencing, overtime rules, pay multipliers and shift planning sit in the Attendance module.

Hiring

The Talent module lists automatic job board posting, custom application forms, candidate scoring, an anonymous hiring mode and custom hiring stages.

Reviews, surveys and goals

The Growth module includes performance reviews with 360 feedback, engagement surveys with heatmaps, and goal tracking.

Devices and app access

The Tech module keeps an asset register, handles device lock and wipe, and manages access to company apps when people join or leave.

Personio

Pricing could not be confirmed. See personio.com.

Zelt

Pricing could not be confirmed. See zelt.app.